Need You Now
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: Tony always knew he needed Pepper, but he never realized how much until she was gone.


There was only so much a woman could take, and Pepper had finally decided she'd had enough. She'd known from the start that taking on the job as the infamous Tony Stark's PA wasn't going to be easy; getting him out of bed for Saturday board meetings was nearly impossible, no matter how many buckets of ice water you threw on him. But being _Iron Man's _assistant? That was an entirely different story.

Pepper remembered almost fondly the days when the typical wardrobe malfunction Mr. Stark would have was a tie that clashed with his shirt, or a ketchup stain from a cheeseburger he'd forced them to stop for. Not _bullet holes. _

But the thing that had finally made her snap wasn't the life threatening missions, the slutty bimbos, or the disastrous press conferences; it was Tony's sudden personality flip.

One day he'd been fine, sending her off on errands to either fetch him his necessary gallon of coffee intake for the day, or getting her to help him hold pieces of the suit in place while he made adjustments, and then the next day he'd just… slipped into a funk. Snapping at her for little to no clear reason, refusing to attend meetings purely out of spite, and threatening to dismantle JARVIS's vocal systems if he didn't pipe down while he was trying to work.

Was snarky Tony typical? Yes. But just downright unbearable Tony? No.

"I _quit!_" she'd screamed at him at the end of a rather heated argument over him snapping and tearing apart Butterfingers for spare parts.

"You _quit?_" he'd grumbled sarcastically, practically mocking her as he glared from his chair behind his desk in the workshop. "You're just going to quit because I took apart a robot that _I _built? I can do whatever the hell I want!"

"Oh, I _know_ you can!" she'd spat in response, tossing her keys to the manor on the cold ground. "That's all you _ever _do! No matter what other people think, or what might happen, you _always_ do whatever _you_ want!"

"Because I _can, _Pepper!" he'd said almost smugly, and she'd had to resist the urge to smack him in the face.

"Well, enjoy your freedom," she'd stated, backing toward the door. "Because I'm not going to stand around and watch you throw your life down the drain."

"_Will that be all, Ms. Potts?_" Tony had ground out with annoyance, and Pepper flinched back slightly, turning on her heel and pulling the glass door open.

"That will be all, Mr. Stark," she'd whispered as she hurried away, refusing to let him see the tears on her cheeks.

It hadn't exactly been how she'd wanted to spend her birthday. Now, hours later, she was sitting at home, alone, staring at the phone. She knew it was pitiful, but a part of her wanted to pick it up and call Tony; beg him to forgive her.

Because Tony was all she had. No one else called her on her birthday (even though Tony usually _did_ forget…), and no one else cared enough to spring to buy her presents. Pepper had never been a material girl, but it was nice to be given something every once in a while…

But here she was, sat all alone in her apartment, begging silently for the phone to ring. All she wanted was for the phone to ring, so she wouldn't have to sink so low as to call Tony herself…

… _. … . … . … . … . … . … . …_

Tony was drunk; again. Drunk out of his mind. More drunk than he remembered being in a long time; and that was saying something.

"_Sir, I would recommend highly against another-_" JARVIS had begun to say when Tony poured himself yet another glass of whiskey, sat miserably in the center of his bed.

"I don't care what you recommend against," he murmured as he downed the contents of the glass, pouring himself another; blissfully buzzed.

"_Yes, sir,_" JARVIS had replied, and Tony sulked as he stared at his bedroom door. It was times like this when Pepper would normally enter the room, her heels clacking on the wood floor, and take the bottle from him before he'd even had his sixth glass.

"_You have a meeting at nine,_" she'd scold him, but only half-heartedly. "_If you're hungover, or worse, still drunk, it will make me look bad._"

"_You?_" he would ask with confusion, and she'd grin as she forced him to get into bed.

"_Yes, me; as your babysitter, I'm responsible to take at least decent care of you._"

And then she would smile and shake her head, and maybe award him with a kiss on the cheek before she went home, if he was good.

_She really was my babysitter, _he thought with a weak smile, tipping his head back into the pillows, _and she took damn good care of me…_

"JARVIS, call Pepper," he'd barked as he opened his eyes, and the automated voice responded almost warily.

"_It's now 1:45am, sir; Ms. Potts is likely asleep-_"

"_Call her,_" Tony had said firmly, his frown deepening. He'd created the damn program; it should at _least _do as he said, when he asked.

"_Yes, sir. Calling Ms. Potts._"

… . … . … . … . … . …

It was past 1:00 in the morning when the jingling of her phone roused Pepper from a light sleep on the couch of her living room, and she frowned groggily as she grabbed it.

"Hello…?" she murmured sleepily, and was greeted by a rather drunken slur.

"Happy birthday…"

Frowning, Pepper rubbed her eyes and sat up, glancing at the clock. "Tony?"

"You thought I forgot, didn't you? Well, I didn't… Tony Stark _never _forgets something important…"

Pepper rolled her eyes, shaking her head. He was clearly drunk, and he'd do something stupid and reckless if she didn't talk him down…

"So, meetings and the names of your many conquests; those don't count as important to you?"

There was a pause on the other end, and Tony took a long moment to respond. "No… only you are."

_That _caught Pepper off guard. "I… I'm… _what_…?"

"Pepp, you've gotta come back. I-… I mean, JARVIS… JARVIS needs you…"

"_JARVIS_ needs me?" Pepper asked with a frown, sitting back against the cushions of her couch. "Tony, I'm sure JARVIS will be just fine on his own. You're drunk; go to bed."

"No!" Tony snapped, and Pepper frowned more deeply at his tone.

"_Go to bed, Tony. _I'm tired, and I don't want to deal with this now."

"No! No, Pepper, don't hang up… Please, Pepp…"

"Why not, Tony? Give me one good reason," she stated, and he paused. Tony paused for so long that, for a moment, Pepper began to think he'd taken her advice and fallen asleep on the other end.

"_I love you._"

The phone clattered to the ground, and Pepper gaped at it with disbelief as though it had just tried to eat her ear. She hadn't just heard that. That hadn't just happened. Anthony Edward Stark had _not _just said those three words…

… _. … . … . … . … . … . …_

"Pepper? Hello? Potts? Pepper?" Tony continuously repeated Pepper's name over and over with confusion when he heard the clatter, a frown tugging at his lips. After a solid five minutes, he snapped and shouted, "_Damn it, Virginia, pick up the phone!_"

"_You love me?_" she finally responded after those words, and Tony sagged with relief.

"I… uh… yeah. Yeah, I guess I do."

"You _guess?_" she hissed, and Tony shook his head.

"No, I… I know…"

Pepper hesitated before sighing. "Why have you been acting like such an idiot lately?" she asked him straight up, and he blinked with surprise. _That _certainly wasn't the reaction he'd expected, but he supposed that he did owe her an explanation…

"It's… been a year," he mumbled, and he knew as soon as he said it that Pepper wouldn't understand what he meant.

"Yes, Tony, it's been a year since my last birthday. Just like every birthday-"

"No, Pepper," he says with a shake of his head, despite the fact that she couldn't see it. "It's been a year since I was kidnapped and nearly killed."

Suddenly… it all made sense. His need to keep people away from him, the constant precautionary updates to the armor, his refusing to leave the manor…

Tony Stark was scared.

"Oh…" Pepper said softly, her stomach churning at the thought. "Oh, Tony…"

"Don't do that," he nearly snapped, barely managing to keep his voice relaxed. "Don't pity me. I don't want pity…"

"It wasn't pity…" she said softly, shaking her head as she got to her feet and hurried out the door. "It was compassion, Tony. There's a difference."

With those last few words, the line went dead, and Tony frowned almost weakly.

"_Sir, Ms. Potts has disconnected-_"

"I _know, _JARVIS," Tony grumbled, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and shrugging it off, tossing it aside as he crawled under the sheets of his bed. Pepper wasn't here to tuck him in and prevent a hangover this time. Pepper was gone. Pepper wasn't coming back…

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

The faint blue glow of his arc reactor illuminated the dark room, and Pepper bit her lip as she lingered in the hallway just outside the door. It appeared Tony had taken her advice and gone to sleep. Frowning lightly, she walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him, running her fingers gently through his dark, messy hair. How had she not figured it out? She should have known he had a reason for treating her, and everyone else, so poorly; Tony Stark had a reason for everything.

But she hadn't known, and she felt awful about it. Shrugging her jacket off and letting it fall to the ground, not caring for once, she kicked off her pumps and lied atop the sheets behind him, gently running her hand down his arm to his fingertips. Stirring at her touch, Tony rolled over, and the light from the reactor was nearly blinding, shining directly in her eyes.

"Pepper…?" he mumbled with disbelief, and she gave him a sheepish smile. "How'd you…?"

"_I let her in, sir. I thought it was in your best interest, and she didn't seem like she planned on stealing anything, at least of crucial value._"

Pepper gave a soft laugh and nodded, shifting so the blue light wasn't shining so close to her eyes. "It's true; I was only going to steal one of your favorite watches and sell it to buy a new Blackberry."

Tony shook his head, shifting closer to her, still unable to process that Pepper Potts was there, lying beside him in his bed in the middle of the night. Was he really so drunk that he was seeing things…?

"What're you doing here…?" he slurred, and she shook her head as she touched his cheek.

"I'm here because you need me," she informed him, nodding with a faint smile pulling at her lips. "Pepper Potts, at your service, Mr. Stark."

Smiling faintly, Tony decided to enjoy her presence; even if she wasn't really there, he might as well relish in it while it lasted. "I apologize for being a first-rate jackass, Ms. Potts. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I think that depends," she said with a small, playful grin. "What did you get me for my birthday?"

Biting his lip, Tony shook his head, exhaling a deep breath. He didn't exactly have anything on hand at the moment. What was he supposed to give the woman who did everything for him?

"Me…?"

"Yes, you; what did you-"

But he cut her off with a surprisingly soft, quick kiss to her lips, leaving Pepper dumbfounded when he slowly pulled back.

"No, Pepper; _me. _That's what I want to give you. You gave me proof that Tony Stark has a heart… Let him give that heart to you in return?"

Blinking slowly, she stared over at him in the dim blue light, shaking her head. "Are you serious…?"

"Dead serious," he said with a nod, resisting the urge to kiss her again and prove it. "Pepper Potts, I think I'm in love with you."

Shaking her head, Pepper stared at him with shock, still uncertain of how to react. He was obviously a bit less drunk now than he had been when he called her, and if he still felt that way now…

"That's… a pretty a big present," she said finally, her voice a bit breathless, and he grinned.

"Potts, I said my heart, not my-"

"_Tony!_"

"Ow!" he huffed when she smacked his arm, but a smirk was still pulling at his lips. "Okay, okay; we'll work up to _that _present."

"Go to sleep, Tony," she muttered, closing her own eyes as her head lay on the pillow beside his. Grinning, Tony snaked an arm around her dainty waist and let his dark eyes fall shut, shaking his head. If this was a dream, then it was a damn good one. He wasn't sure how he would take it when he woke up alone in the morning…

Tony _did_ wake up alone the next morning. Sulking, he'd dragged himself out of bed and to the living room to start drinking again, pausing when he found Pepper sat on the couch on her laptop, cellphone pressed to her ear.

"…yes, we understand that the shipping process is very expensive… No, I'm sure it won't be a problem…"

Turning away from her call, Pepper raised an eyebrow at his half-dressed form, putting a hand over the phone. "You need to get dressed; you have a meeting in less than two hours."

But she said it with an almost playful smile, and Tony returned her look with a wide grin. "Yes, Ms. Potts," he said with a wink, retreating back to his room. For once, he didn't mind doing as she said; he didn't even mind sitting through the boring board meeting all morning, pretending to be interested in what they all were saying.

Tony Stark didn't mind, because he had woken up to the fond sound of Pepper Potts' scolding him for one thing or another every morning since.


End file.
